


After 03x11 (The Rashomon Job)

by PseudoLeigha



Series: (More) 2AM Conversations [41]
Category: Leverage
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-22
Updated: 2017-01-22
Packaged: 2018-09-19 03:19:50
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,552
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9415808
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PseudoLeigha/pseuds/PseudoLeigha
Summary: Hardison and Eliot discuss how everyone knew each other before the team got together, and whether the team could have gotten together during the Rashomon Job.Alec's POV





	

Eliot caught up to Alec and Sophie only a few blocks from Headquarters, as Alec was silently debating whether it would be faster to call an Uber or try to steal a car. On the one hand, it was still hit or miss if he could even get the door to a given car open, but on the other, it was drunk-o'clock, so most taxis were probably in service already. Parker had declared that they were racing and immediately jacked an unattended motorcycle, so the dagger would probably be in her hands by the time he got to the museum regardless.

It seemed that Sophie had reached the same conclusion, because as soon as Eliot arrived she asked, "Is Nate coming?"

The hitter shrugged. "I think so. He'd'a had to lock up, though."

"I'll wait for him, then. Parker's going to beat us to the dagger, but we can still plan to take down Mr. Smarmy Mac Cares-a-lot.'" Both Alec and Eliot laughed at that, so hard that Alec nearly missed her adding, "I hate men like him."

"Me too, Sophie," he agreed.

Eliot nodded. "I'm gonna go back Parker up, though. Hardison, you in or out?"

"I'm in!" he answered immediately. "You think you could boost a car?"

"Do I look like Parker to you? No, I can't boost a car. 'Sides, it's only two an' a half miles to the museum, and it's a nice night. We can go on foot." Even though he phrased it like a suggestion, Alec was pretty sure it wasn't.

"Fine, whatever."

"You boys have fun," Sophie smirked, pulling off one of her heels and rubbing her foot.

"Nate should be here in a couple minutes, Soph," Eliot offered.

She rewarded him with a smile. "I may just head back and catch him up, then. See you tomorrow."

She put her shoe back on and turned around, walking back toward the bar.

"Should we be worried about her?" Alec asked, watching as she meandered toward the end of the block.

Eliot shrugged. "Nah. Everyone in this neighborhood that might think to mess with her knows who she is, an' she's not _that_ drunk. C'mon!"

And with that, he started jogging in the direction of the museum. Alec groaned, but followed. By the time Eliot stopped, what felt like ages later, he was about ready to pass out or throw up, or maybe both.

"Man," the hitter said, giving him a _look_ , "you're gettin' better at self defense, but you _gotta_ stop slackin' on your cardio. Runnin's your best option nine times outta ten, an' ya can't run for your life if ya can't run period."

Alec glared at the other man as best he could while gasping for breath. He barely seemed winded, and definitely hadn't even broken a sweat. "I – _hate_ – you."

Eliot had the temerity to _laugh_ at that. "No you don't. C'mon, keep movin'. We still got a little over half a mile to go."

By the time Alec had his breathing and heart-rate under control again, it was more like a quarter mile, and he was avoiding thinking about the necessity of adding more jogging to his exercise routine by thinking about the job, five years before, when they had all managed to come so close to meeting each other.

"It's kinda crazy to think we coulda met back in '05, if things'd gone just a lil' diff'ren'," he offered, wondering what their lives might have been like if they had met up for the first time back then. "Think we woulda still gotten together as a team?"

Eliot shrugged. "Prob'ly not. Nate wouldn'a for sure. You remember how he used to be. Or maybe you don't. Did he ever go after you?"

"Naw. I was hired to put in back doors in museum security a couple times, so he prolly knew my name, but I didn't know his before that job with Dubenich."

"Well, imagine all his," he waved his hands inarticulately.

"Magnificent Bastard, Xanatos Speed Chess Mastermind Mojo?" Alec suggested.

"I'm gonna pretend I know what that is…"

"It's how –"

" _Whatever_ , Hardison. Point is, it's all that, but sober, and focused on makin' sure he didn't have to pay for whatever you stole. He use'ta be a lot more like Sterling, before his kid died, is what I'm tryin'a say."

Alec winced. "Yeah. A'ite. So Nate woulda been out. What about you?"

Eliot shrugged again. "I mighta been up for workin' with Parker, but she was a solo act through an' through. I woulda turned you down in a hot second."

That wasn't exactly surprising, but still… "That hurts, man. It really does."

"Shut up, man. You grew on me, but that first job…" he shook his head.

"You said you liked Plan M," Alec recalled.

"I'd'a liked Plan M a lot more if I knew you were steppin' on my toes gettin' the dagger that night. You should count yourself lucky we didn't run into each other back then."

Alec snorted. The hitter had almost given him a tracheotomy that night, and he had been just an innocent bystander as far as Eliot was concerned. "Yeah, a'ite. So what about Sophie? Y'all seemed to be gettin' along real nice."

Eliot shook his head ruefully. "I can't believe I hit on her. She started it, though."

"Yeah, yeah, you stick to that story," Alec laughed. "So you woulda worked with her, or not?"

Eliot shrugged. "Maybe. Prob'ly not, though. I don't trust grifters as a rule."

Alec raised an eyebrow. "Sounds like there's a story, there."

"Nah. They just remind me of a time in my life I'd really rather not think about."

"They got a lotta grifters in Spec Ops?" Alec asked, surprised.

Eliot shook his head sharply. "CIA, an' they're in charge." Then he changed the subject. "She prob'ly woulda worked with you, though. Never met a grifter who wouldn't want a hacker backin' her up."

Alec nodded. "I set up online legends for a few ids for her, on commission back in '03. One a' the firs' jobs I got paid for. Didn' realize it was her until I was consolidatin' shit for the team, wipin' out traces an' ties back to us, y'know?"

Eliot did a double take.

Alec grinned. "Yeah, tha's right, I wasn' jus' some punk kid with a computer. I 'ad _connections_."

The older man laughed. "I met her, once, in Banho Zay, in '02. Didn't know it was her until we were talkin' during that first job. I'm guessin' she didn' recognize me, either. We were both goin' after the same mark, but different objects. An' I came face to face with Nate a couple times. Knocked him out once for pullin' a gun on me. You were the only one I didn't know, before."

"Yeah? How'd you know Parker?"

Eliot rolled his eyes. "Okay, I didn't really _know_ Parker, but I knew _of_ her. She pulled off that BASE jump from the Eiffel Tower when I was in San Lorenzo, an'she kept stealin' the Blue Diamond an' re-sellin' it. I've been hired to get it back three times now. Every time I do, she takes it again. I'm pretty sure she picked it up again after the Dubenich job, but before we really started the team. I haven't heard anything about it since, so either she hasn't moved it, or whoever bought it is bein' smart enough to keep their mouths shut."

"That's… that's ridiculous, man."

"It's _Parker_. You ask her."

"Ask me what?" a familiar voice asked from behind them as they finally approached the museum.

Alec jumped about a foot. (Eliot just smirked, the bastard.) "Don' _do_ tha' t' me, girl!" 

Parker ignored him, of course, and tossed the dagger of Aqu'Abi in his general direction. He fumbled, having flashbacks to stealing the miniature David, but caught it. He tested it discretely to see if it wasn't another cheap fake, like the one Nate had broken all those years ago. "What did you want to ask me?"

"How many times've you stolen the Blue Diamond?" Eliot demanded, just as Alec asked, "How did you get this so fast?!"

Parker shrugged. "Eight. It's too pretty to stay locked up in a vault somewhere. And I've been planning this since I heard it was coming back." Alec was willing to bet that Eliot was giving her a _look_ just like he was, because she added, in the most exasperated tone he had ever heard, " _What_?! _You_ have your computer games, and _you_ have cooking. _This_ is what _I_ do!"

"Parker," Eliot said warningly, "Didn't we have a talk about moonlighting and solo jobs?"

She rolled her eyes and started walking back toward the bar. "Why do you think I brought it up tonight in the first place? You all were the ones who got distracted arguing over who stole it in '05."

Alec laughed as Eliot grumbled under his breath. "She' got a point, man. Hey! Hey, Parker! Wait up! You wanna boost us a car?"

"Why? It's not _that_ far. We'd have to ditch it at least a couple miles away from the bar to avoid suspicion, anyway. Besides, you walked here, didn't you?"

Now it was Eliot's turn to laugh as Alec grumbled, "Not by _choice,_ mama!"


End file.
